1Yes, I know, it's been too long. A lot of stuff came up, including trying my hand at art, and several events.
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At the Academy, Brother Blood was pacing in his chamber. He was trying to think through what he'd been told.
"All right, let me get this straight...Taskmaster, you defeated the Titans, but didn't finish them off? And you halted Gizmo in the middle of a crime?"
Taskmaster stood there, cloak hanging down, so only his feet and face could be seen. Gizmo was next to him, wondering if he was going to see his teacher get chewed out. However, Taskmaster remained cool about it.
"I'm a mercenary by trade ye know, meaning if you wanted me t' kill 'em, ye have t' pay me for it."
Taskmaster's response made Blood grit his teeth, clench his fists, and growl to himself, infuriated.
"They're ALWAYS ruining everything! It would've been nice to be done with them!"
Taskmaster didn't bat an eye to this. Gizmo just watched on, unsure of what was going on. Possibly because he usually didn't pay attention to internal politics.
"Ye paid me t' teach the kids t' fight and t' perform better. That was all ye paid me for, and that's all ye get from me." Taskmaster repeated.
"Gahh...how much would it take for you to get rid of them, then?" Blood inquired.
"Hey! I wanna get rid of them!" Gizmo interrupted.
Taskmaster shrugged, cloak coming open when he does, before he turned to head out.
"Forget it, Blood. Killin' brats is beneath me. 'Sides that, yer gettin' yer money's worth from trainin' the students here t' do it. That way, ye have them handy afterward."
Blood remained angry, and Gizmo was wondering about his teacher.
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At the Tower, Robin was anxious, training in gym, fighting a spar dummy. His mind was whirring away with questions. How exactly, did Taskmaster know that fighting style? How were they going to beat him? How do they defeat someone who seems literally ready for anything?
He was too intent on his training, to notice Starfire enter.
"Robin?"
"What is it, Starfire?"
"Robin, are you angry that we have lost?" She asked him.
Robin stopped his training, and looked towards her, unsure why she would think that.
"No. That's not why I'm in here. He knew my fighting style. The method of fighting I was taught by...my father..."
"You are upset because he uses it as well?"
"It's not a form of fighting that's known to those outside of those I was with before the Titans. That's why it concerns me."
"I see..."
"He's different from others we've faced. It's like he knows exactly how to get around our attacks...I hate to say it...but I'm worried we might not be able to beat him."
Starfire flew over to Robin, putting her hands on his shoulders, and looked eye-to-eye with him.
"Do not say such things! We will beat him, Robin. We have always managed to defeat those who exist to do wrong before, and we will continue to!"
"..Thanks, Starfire."
Divide
Taskmaster was sitting alone in his room in the Academy, lights dim, watching old tapes he has seen countless times. Movies, but not of the Hollywood kind. These are tapes of the fights of many costumed heroes and villains. Old faces he's known, and some he's never met. A ritual of his, to review his tapes, so he performs better using their skills.
A ritual now disturbed, by knocking on the door. Taskmaster sighed to himself, pausing a tape, of none less than the Dark Knight himself in action, as he got up, still in costume, and answered the door.
"Well now, what brings my best student t' see me?" he asked his visitor.
It was Bumble Bee, one of the best students of the Academy, and from Taskmaster's assessment of her, appropriately so. She was about the only student who took all their classes seriously.
"Sorry, I was checking about tomorrow's assignment for sparring combat without weapons." She told him, thumbing to her wings, "Do these count as weapons?"
Taskmaster sweatdropped to himself about this. He hadn't actually bothered to consider what he should and shouldn't list as a weapon for that class. Another point for the inquisitive mind.
He turned to stride further into his room, which Bumble Bee took as an invitation to enter while he thought about it. She followed him in, and looked around. The room was mainly barren of personal possessions. She saw exercise equipment much like the physical education area had, but including methods to train in using his many weapons, and a massive library of tapes, all labeled with the names of various super heroes or villains. She also saw the TV paused.
"Well, there's two ways t' consider it. A weapon kin' be defined as either something ye use to hurt someone, or anythin' ye use for advantage in battle. That'd include yer wings and shrinking, and be what I'd prefer, since ye kin' never rely on having those all the time."
"Right, thanks.." She noted, "Lot of tapes.."
"I like t' review fighting techniques of others. Helps me perform better."
"Ah, all right. See you tomorrow then." She told him as she left.
Taskmaster continued to think, before returning to viewing his tapes, taking time to rewind them, then watch them again at double speed..
Divide
Maybe a little short, but I am still a busy guy.
